The Colorado Springs Republican wasn’t feeling well yesterday so a colleague insisted he see a doctor and actually drove him there, Speaker Frank McNulty said. It turns out Barker had suffered a stroke.

News that Barker was out sparked a round of rumors today at Gold Dome High School until the announcement that he had been released from the hospital and would be back tomorrow.

Among the what ifs: If Barker were out for a while, Republicans would lose their one-seat majority, imperiling some of their legislation or their desire to kill Democratic bills.

And if Barker were out on Thursday, when the House Judiciary Committee hears a civil-unions bill, whom would the speaker appoint as his fill in? Would it be someone who supports civil unions, thus giving Senate Bill 2 a chance to go to the entire floor? Or someone opposed?

Barker voted against a nearly identical measure last year. The civil unions bill failed on a party-line vote, with Barker voting “no.” If no substitute were appointed, there’s a chance the bill would die on a tie vote.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.